Plectrocnemia aristovi sp. nov., a new fossil species of Polycentropodidae (Insecta: Trichoptera) from Eocene Rovno amber

Abstract

Forty-five species of caddisflies are known from Rovno amber (Ivanov et al., 2016; Perkovsky, 2017; Melnitsky et al., 2021a–c). The new 24 caddisfly species from 8 families (Psychomyiidae – 1, Polycentropodidae – 11, Ecnomidae – 2, Philopotamidae – 2,  Hydroptilidae – 4, Phryganeidae – 1, Lepidostomatidae – 1, Leptoceridae – 3) of Rovno amber are described in recent papers of last decade (Melnitsky & Ivanov, 2010, 2013, 2016 a, b; Melnitsky et al., 2021a–c). The family Polycentropodidae includes more than 910 species in the world fauna, of which about 100 are fossils (Morse, 2023). The genus Plectrocnemia contains over 160 species; representatives of this genus are widespread in the Holarctic and Oriental realms. The genus Plectrocnemia is represented by 27 fossil species in the Paleogene resins of Europe, five of which are noted in Rovno amber (Melnitsky et al., 2021a). Three species: Plectrocnemia nastigermania Melnitsky & Ivanov, 2013, Plectrocnemia ucrainum Melnitsky & Ivanov, 2013, and Plectrocnemia kirmikhia Melnitsky, Ivanov & Perkovsky, 2021 are endemic to Rovno amber. Here we describe a new species from the genus Plectrocnemia from the Rovno amber.